To encourage and sustain the active participation of investigators from partnering institutions in the Mid- South TCC activities and to develop a new cadre of junior investigators, it is imperative to have adequate financial, administrative, and regulatory support across and within the collaborating institutions. The overarching goal of the Pilot Project Program is to provide direct support for pilot research across partnering institutions and, through mentoring, help awardees obtain the education and training that would enhance their long-term success as independent health disparities investigators. The objective of the Pilot Program is twofold: 1) facilitate emerging research areas, explore new methodologies or approaches for basic and/or applied research, and facilitate transdisciplinary research among participants; and 2) mentor junior investigators with the goal of becoming independently funded thus developing a new cadre of health disparities researchers. Specifically, this program will support pilot, feasibility, and collaborative research studies of significance and impact to help investigators be competitive for NIH or other extramural funding. The long-term goal of this program is to develop a critical mass of senior scientists and promising young investigators from multiple disciplines with expertise in the field of social determinants of health.